College Admissions Decisions

College admissions decisions are often influenced by expressed interest. Campus newspapers can prove a valuable resource to effectively express interest.

At the vast majority of the most prestigious universities in the nation, an important input in each of the college admissions decisions is interest. Expressing interest in a university means a great deal to top colleges. Think of it like dating. If you don’t express interest, you’re not going to land the person of your dreams. But unlike dating, colleges are rarely turned off if you express too much interest!

Colleges want to know that if admitted, you’ll attend. They want their yield to be high. They want to admit students who are excited about matriculating to the university. They want that enthusiasm and that passion that will in turn inspire others to attend one day as well.

So how do colleges know that you love them? That’s easy. You visit the university. You make contact with your regional admissions counselor. Maybe you apply through the school’s early program if they happen to have one. And in the all important Why College Essay, you cite specifics! One great way to do that is to pick up a copy of the campus newspaper when you’re on campus or – even better – to regularly peruse the online edition of the campus newspaper.

“USA Today” has come out with a great resource to find so many university newspapers. We hope you find the resource helpful as you prepare to write your Why College Essays and plan out your strategy for expressing interest in colleges.